This invention relates generally to laser apparatus and more particularly, to low level laser therapy apparatus.
High energy laser radiation is now well-accepted as a surgical tool for cutting, cauterizing and ablating biological tissue. High energy lasers are routinely used to vaporize superficial skin lesions, to make superficial incisions such as those required for plastic surgery, and to make deep cuts required for major surgical operations. Such lasers accomplish their results thermally, by heating the tissue.
Less well-known is that low levels of laser energy have a non-thermal, biostimulative effect on biological tissues. The therapeutic application of low level laser energy, frequently known as low level laser therapy (LLLT), produces beneficial clinical effects in the treatment of musculoskeletal, neurological and soft tissue conditions. LLLT is non-invasive and avoids the potential side effects of drug therapy. More specifically, LLLT delivers photons to targeted tissue, penetrating the layers of skin to reach internal tissues to produce a specific, nonthermal photochemical effect at the cellular level. Jeffrey R. Basford, Laser Therapy: Scientific Basis and Clinical Role, ORTHOPEDICS, May 1993, at 541. In particular, one known effect of LLLT is to enhance microcirculation of both blood and lymph, thus clearing products of inflammation from injured tissue, improving the delivery of oxygen and promoting the healing process. JAN TUNER & LARS HODE, LOW LEVEL LASER THERAPY: CLINICAL PRACTICE AND SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND (1999).
Known LLLT devices and methods involve the application of laser energy at a wavelength in the near to mid infrared range, under certain limited conditions which limit the dosage of laser energy being applied. For example, known LLLT devices and methods involve the application of laser energy with devices having a very low average power output well below 100 mW. Such devices require extended periods of time to deliver any given dosage to a treatment point. Especially when multiple points are being treated, and multiple treatments required, longer treatment times are a significant inconvenience for both technician and patient. Some LLLT methods involve the application of laser energy to limited, specified sites for specific reasons. For example, known LLLT methods for treating specific pain symptoms involve applying laser energy to specific, charted treatment points which are correlated with the specific pain symptoms. However, such methods are limited to the treatment of specific symptoms, do not identify specific laser energy dosages, and do not provide any guidelines for varying dosages for treatment of a range of tissue injuries.
Currently, methods for treating musculoskeletal injuries, including strain and sprain injuries to muscle, tendon and fascial components, are limited to drug therapy to mask pain during the healing process, immobilization, and various physiotherapies which often have limited success. No known methods currently exist to treat the injury and associated pain by accelerating the healing process itself. Therefore, because of LLLT's beneficial effects on microcirculation and sites of inflammation, LLLT presents a promising new approach to treatment of acute and chronic injuries of the musculoskeletal system, including repetitive strain injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
It would therefore be desirable to provide an improved method for the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries which employs LLLT. It would also be desirable to provide such a method which is time-efficient, and is suitable for treating a range of musculoskeletal injuries. It would also be desirable to provide such a method which is relatively inexpensive to implement and convenient to use.